


these broken souls can still feel alive, baby

by NaomiLeyers



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomiLeyers/pseuds/NaomiLeyers
Summary: in which Melitta doesn't drink the poisoned wine and Gannicus does have a reason to stay





	these broken souls can still feel alive, baby

**Author's Note:**

> Written because they deserved better.  
> All characters belong to Steven deKnight.

Years from now will Gannicus wonder how it could happen that the poisoned wine spilled all over his cell before Melitta could drink it. He will ask himself how Oenomaus could react on his ashamed confession concerning his wife by breaking the distance between them and pulling him into a hug.

The wine spills.

He talks to Oenomaus.

They spend the night sharing wine and not bothering to use cups.

They avenge Titus Batiatus (Gannicus has never really cared for the man, but he will never stop owing Oenomaus and so he doesn’t really mind burying good Tullius in the arena.)

He fights the primus. He wins.

He gains his freedom (he doesn’t really understand what it means, not when the man on the balcony tells him he is free).

He spends the night with Oenomaus and with Melitta, her body soft and warm and a safe bridge between them.

In the morning he speaks with Quintus Batiatus. 

He agrees to stay.

*

He fights.

He elevates the house.

He returns to Melitta and Oenomaus every night.

One day Quintus Batiatus receives the invitation from Rome, asking him to join the Senate.

He and Lucretia get ready to leave their lives behind within hours. 

Before their departure are both Melitta and Oenomaus freed. Oenomaus is named the new dominus of the ludus. (Lucretia is almost crying- almost- when Melitta tells her- softly- she wishes to stay. Gannicus thinks of the woman when she didn’t stop Varrus from forcing them to fuck for his pleasure and he thinks of her now, when she is holding Melitta against her body and asking her to write and he decides he doesn’t understand Romans. He doesn’t need to.)

That night he finds Oenomaus standing on the balcony, watching the ludus.

“I never thought it could happen,” he says and there is a mix of disbelief and pleasure in his voice, “I never believed I could lead the men.”

“You always led us,” Gannicus answers, because it is true. 

It has always been true, only now Oenomaus can do a lot more than just offer wise words.

When Oenomaus kisses him, it feels right.

*

He returns from Naples tired and sweaty. He asks the guards to lead him to the domina of the house nevertheless.

Melitta is in bed, but she gets up when she sees him and she hugs him even though he can see she would prefer to send him straight to bath. 

“It is good to see you,” she tells him.

“I am still Champion,” he reminds her. 

He doesn’t fight for ludus anymore. He has given up the title to Crixus and he usually spends his time helping Oenomaus training new recruits but he still likes to go and fight once in a while. He hasn’t needed this form of freedom in years but it still feels good to know he is capable of anything as long as he has his swords. Melitta will never like it.

She in fact hates it and they spend the night before his departure arguing and she is probably still angry but that doesn’t stop her from kissing him, deeply.

“Where is Oenomaus?” he asks when they part and he lets her lead him to the bath.

“Talking to the new recruit,” she answers, leaning against the wall as she watches him undress.

It has been years since either of them felt ashamed of it.

“Didn’t know we had a new recruit,” he says.

She laughs.

“Jealous? A Thracian. Sent to be executed in arena but he killed every single one of his supposed killers.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Might be,” she agrees. “Our husband made Claudius Glaber a bit angry, but it might be worth it. That man seems to have a story. Oenomaus promised to find his wife, he shall fight for us until then and afterwards we shall see.”

Gannicus has to smile at that because this- finding a lost wife of a nameless slave- is a very Oenomaus and a very Melitta thing to do and he will never really understand what he had done in his past life to deserve love of both of them.

"How kind of you,” he tells her and she laughs and slips into the bathtub, pressing herself to his chest and he might have not believed in gods for a very long time, but he does now and he thanks them every night for letting that jug of wine break all those years ago. “What were you saying was his name?"

She lets him hug her. They will stay like that until the water gets cold and until Oenomaus comes and then they will kiss and they will touch and they will feel whole and home and safe and they never had any of that before. They will have a whole lifetime to make up for the years of fear and pain. 

"I didn’t,” Melitta admits, resting her head against his chest. “I haven’t even been properly introduced to him but Oenomaus said his name was Spartacus. I really don’t think he´ll cause many problems."


End file.
